Secret Service takes down protestors at Sanders Rally in Oakland

The Secret Service jumped into action on Sunday at a rally for Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders on May 30 in Oakland, California. A group of animal rights activists seeking attention for their cause jumped a security barrier and were subdued. Video Courtesy ABC News/Youtube

Animal rights activists seeking attention for their cause jumped a security barrier at a rally for Presidential Candidate U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in Oakland California on Sunday. The protestors, believed to be members of the Direct Action Everywhere group are animal liberation activists. The incident was an attempt to demand that Sanders support their cause and ensure legal rights for animals.

Sanders was quickly surrounded by Secret Service personnel. Four activists who were yelling and being generally disruptive were immediately subdued by the Secret Service and taken away. The crowd cheered and chanted “Bernie” while the incident was being neutralized. The Democratic presidential candidate did not leave the stage and returned to the podium as soon as the group was removed.

“We are not easily intimidated,” Sanders said.

Sanders continues to draw huge crowds across the country and California voters were turning out in droves. The Oakland rally was estimated at 30,000 to 60,000 strong, with Sanders seemingly on target to rally more than 200,000 Californians before the June 7 presidential primary election. Social media reportedOakland Police Department (OPD) estimating 60,000 at the City Hall rally. A request for confirmation from OPD was not immediately available.

Political pundits and mainstream media outlets continue to whitewash the Vermont senator’s popularity and unwavering upward momentum, instead concentrating their efforts on establishment candidate and self-proclaimed, party nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, in an interview with Sanders’ campaign manager, Jeff weaver on May 23, announced that the major networks will call the race for Clinton on June 7 before the close of the California primary, even though Clinton will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates prior to the Democratic Convention in July. The blatant disregard for the Democratic process by mainstream media created a rift among news organizations who see the move not only as network politicking, but hollywood style news creation as opposed to reporting, the mainstay of integral journalism.

“Waiting for the news to happen is so cringingly Cronkite I’m embarrassed to be even a tangential part of the American media these days,” wrote Seth Abramson for the Huffington Post. “If we can’t report that things have happened when our personal opinion is that they’ve happened or “as good as” happened, I don’t see what the point of having wall-to-wall cable news on fifty different channels is. What else is the First Amendment for, if not the freedom of the press to outpace its own coverage?”

While his momentum hasn’t waned, neither has Sanders’ polling numbers against presumptive Republican Nominee Donald Trump. A May Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll of likely voters showed Sanders with a 17 point margin over Trump at 53 percent to Trump’s 36 percent. Clinton polled 10 points higher than Trump, but the survey showed a major flaw in Clinton’s ability to pull male voters. Among the Golden State’s likely male voters, Trump had an eleven point lead over Clinton.

The most striking, and underreported factoring of the PPIC poll had Sanders and Clinton in a dead heat with the former First Lady up by only 2 points and well within the margin of error.

The candidates continue to canvas the state in advance of the primary on June 7. At this time, it appears there will be no California debate as both Clinton and Trump refused a public challenge with the most popular candidate in the race.